Help a beginner with his sourdough adventure
So I'm a chef with no training in the baking/patisserie side of the kitchen but I am ever inquisitive and always wanting to learn new things. I've found my self working in a small kitchen and as a result get to do most of the in house baking, so I'm not a complete novice when it comes to baking but don't have any real knowledge about baking, I just mix my ingredients together, knead, proof, shape and bake but can't explain the reasoning or the process behind what I'm doing if that makes sense? So I can't accurately judge what the cause of a problem might be if I face any or what affects changing ratios, temps, proofing times might have. And here I am, I made a sourdough starter over a week ago and it seemed to go really well, I made my first loaf today, just a standard boule and it turned out really nice although a little timid in flavour. I did 150g starter, 500g flour, 10g sea salt and around 300-350g water. Now my questions are as follows. If I will bake with my starter every other day will removing my required amount and replacing It in weight with 50/50 flour/water be enough to keep it going? Am I using the right amount of starter? Would using less and proofing longer create better flavour? Does hydration, kneading and proofing have an equal affect on crumb structure? Sorry for the long post but I just really want to learn more about baking sourdough!